Guide
Stock footage vs original footage: film what is yours, use stock for the rest
Updated
Most videos need both. Film your own product, premises and process, and use stock footage for general things like the city, the weather or a crowd.
In short
- Original footage is best for your product, premises and process. Stock footage is best for general shots like weather or traffic.
- Stock footage is free from libraries like Pexels and Pixabay, and it shows places and things you cannot film.
- Your own footage works as proof, because it shows your real work, and no other business has the same clips.
- Use stock for general things like rain, traffic or a gym. Film it yourself when the clip is about your business.
- Most short videos use both, with your own clips for claims about you and stock for passing mentions.
- for stock clips on Pexels and Pixabay, free for commercial use
- $0
- free stock video clips on Pixabay
- 240,000+
- for a finished 30-second Cutroom video with b-roll, on the Lite plan
- Under $2
Stock footage or your own footage: which for what
Stock is for general things any business could show: rain, traffic, a city, a gym. Film it yourself when the clip is about your business: your product, your premises, your work.
What to film yourself, and what to take from stock
Your own footage for anything about your business. Stock for things any business could show.
The product you sell
- Film it yourself
- Always. It is what you are selling
- Take it from stock
- No. Stock shows a similar product, not yours
Your shop or office
- Film it yourself
- Yes, about ten seconds at the door
- Take it from stock
- Only if the place does not matter to the sentence
How the work is done
- Film it yourself
- Yes. This is your proof
- Take it from stock
- No. Stock shows another company doing the work
The city, the season, traffic
- Film it yourself
- Only if it is on your way
- Take it from stock
- Yes. Weather and traffic look the same everywhere
Big scenes: crowds, warehouses, aerial views
- Film it yourself
- Rarely possible on a phone
- Take it from stock
- Yes, this is what stock is for
| Film it yourself | Take it from stock | |
|---|---|---|
| The product you sell | Always. It is what you are selling | No. Stock shows a similar product, not yours |
| Your shop or office | Yes, about ten seconds at the door | Only if the place does not matter to the sentence |
| How the work is done | Yes. This is your proof | No. Stock shows another company doing the work |
| The city, the season, traffic | Only if it is on your way | Yes. Weather and traffic look the same everywhere |
| Big scenes: crowds, warehouses, aerial views | Rarely possible on a phone | Yes, this is what stock is for |
What is the difference between stock footage and original footage?
Stock footage is filmed by someone else and shared in a library. Original footage is what you film yourself, usually on your phone.
Stock footage and original footage side by side
| Compared on | Stock footage | Your own footage |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | General ideas: weather, traffic, a city | Your product, your place, your work |
| Cost | Free on Pexels, Pixabay and Mixkit | Free, but it takes your time |
| Who else can use it | Anyone can use the same clip | Only you |
| How it looks | Often polished, which can clash with a phone video | Matches the phone video of you talking |
| Rules to follow | Read the license on each clip | Ask before filming people or their property |
Compared on: What it shows
- Stock footage
- General ideas: weather, traffic, a city
- Your own footage
- Your product, your place, your work
Compared on: Cost
- Stock footage
- Free on Pexels, Pixabay and Mixkit
- Your own footage
- Free, but it takes your time
Compared on: Who else can use it
- Stock footage
- Anyone can use the same clip
- Your own footage
- Only you
Compared on: How it looks
- Stock footage
- Often polished, which can clash with a phone video
- Your own footage
- Matches the phone video of you talking
Compared on: Rules to follow
- Stock footage
- Read the license on each clip
- Your own footage
- Ask before filming people or their property
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
When stock footage is the right choice
Stock footage covers things you cannot or do not need to film yourself.
- Use stock for places you cannot film, like a skyline, an airport, another country or the inside of a data center.
- Use stock for passing mentions, like three seconds of rain, traffic, a gym or a kitchen.
- Use stock for big scenes you do not have, like a warehouse, a crowd or a production line.
- Use stock when you need b-roll tonight and cannot get to the place you would film.
When to film your own footage
Film your own footage for anything about your business: your product, your premises and your work.
- Your own clips work as proof, because viewers see the real thing you are talking about.
- Nobody else has your clips, so they never turn up in a competitor's video.
- Clips filmed on the same phone as your talking video match it, so the switch between them does not stand out.
- Your own clips cost a few minutes of filming per shot, and no money.
- Ask first when other people or their property are in the shot.
The downside of stock footage
Stock is free and fast, but it has three weak spots.
- The most popular stock clips come up first in every search, so many videos use the same ones.
- Polished stock next to a phone video of you talking can look out of place.
- Stock under a claim about your business shows a different business, which makes the claim harder to believe.
Where to get free stock footage
These libraries are free to start. Read the license on each clip before you use it in an ad.
- Start with Pexels and Pixabay. For the three-second passing mentions in a short video, their clips do the same job as a paid one.
- Storyblocks, Artgrid and Envato Elements are the paid libraries, sold as a subscription with bigger collections. Check what they charge on their own sites, because the price depends on the plan.
- A paid library is worth it when you need the same look every week, or scenes the free libraries do not cover.
Free stock footage libraries
From each library's own license page, checked 21 September 2026.
| Library | What it offers | License |
|---|---|---|
| Pexels | Free 4K and HD clips | Free for commercial use, no credit needed. Do not sell unaltered copies |
| Pixabay | 240,000+ free clips, plus music and sound effects | Free, credit optional. No commercial use of clips that show brands or logos |
| Mixkit | Free 4K and HD clips, with a vertical video section | Free for commercial use, no credit. Check each clip's license |
| Coverr | Free HD clips; 4K on paid plans from $4.20 a month | Free for commercial use, no credit needed |
| Vecteezy | Free HD and 4K clips | Free clips require credit to the creator |
Library: Pexels
- What it offers
- Free 4K and HD clips
- License
- Free for commercial use, no credit needed. Do not sell unaltered copies
Library: Pixabay
- What it offers
- 240,000+ free clips, plus music and sound effects
- License
- Free, credit optional. No commercial use of clips that show brands or logos
Library: Mixkit
- What it offers
- Free 4K and HD clips, with a vertical video section
- License
- Free for commercial use, no credit. Check each clip's license
Library: Coverr
- What it offers
- Free HD clips; 4K on paid plans from $4.20 a month
- License
- Free for commercial use, no credit needed
Library: Vecteezy
- What it offers
- Free HD and 4K clips
- License
- Free clips require credit to the creator
How to mix both in one video
Go through what you said, and pick a clip for each phrase that names something you can show.
Filling a video with b-roll, in order
Your own clips for the things you own. Stock for the passing mentions.
Mark the phrases
The words that name something you can show
Use your own clips
For anything about your business
Fill the rest from stock
For passing mentions
Show yourself talking
Where no clip fits, leave the picture on you
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom looks through your own clips before the stock libraries, and puts each clip on the words it shows.
- You upload one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes long, and any clips of your own.
- Cutroom uses your own clips first where they fit, then free stock from Pexels and Pixabay.
- Highlight a phrase in the transcript and a clip covers exactly those words. Swapping a clip costs nothing.
- A 30-second video costs 110 credits. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, which is about 11 videos.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite removes it.
Stock footage doing the job it is good at
Coffee being poured, over words about a daily cost. A passing mention like this is where a stock clip is the right choice.
Questions people ask
- Is stock footage or original footage better?
- Neither on its own. Use your own footage for your product, premises and process, where it works as proof. Use stock for general things any business could show, like weather, traffic or a city skyline.
- Is stock footage bad for engagement?
- Not by itself. A stock clip under a claim about your own business shows someone else's business, so the claim is harder to believe. The most downloaded library clips turn up in many videos, so people recognize them. Short stock clips under passing mentions are fine.
- How much of a video can be stock footage?
- There is no fixed rule. Keep stock off every sentence about your business, and keep b-roll of any kind under about half of a video of you talking, so viewers still see you.
- Is free stock footage safe to use in ads?
- Usually, yes. Pexels and Pixabay allow commercial use without credit. Pixabay does not allow commercial use of clips that show brands or logos, and Pexels does not allow showing identifiable people in a bad light. Check the license on each clip.
- What should I film first if I have no footage?
- Five shots: the thing you sell, your hands working on it, the front of your business, a customer receiving it, and the street outside. One phone is enough for all of them.
- Where does Cutroom's stock footage come from?
- Pexels and Pixabay, two free libraries whose clips are licensed for commercial use. The search is part of the edit, and swapping a clip afterwards costs nothing. Exporting costs 20 credits per minute of video.
Film what only you can film, use stock for the rest, and let Cutroom place both. Your first video is free.